Obedience
by nikipinz
Summary: Ty Lee looked decidedly nervous. Mai, of course, was cool and collected. Azula intended to change that fact in a hurry.


As Azula stood in the knee-deep sludge that had poured from the carcass of the Drill – the war machine she had been so sure was unstoppable! – and tasted the bitterness of defeat, she noticed something that gave her great displeasure.

Mai was pristine.

And not only was Mai _not_ spattered in mud – Mai hadn't even been fighting against the Avatar and his minions!

Azula was pretty sure she had told _both _Ty Lee _and_ Mai to go after the others while she took on the Avatar. Yet here they were, spattered in mud and defeated, while Mai had been doing approximately _nothing._ That constituted disobedience, at the very least.

Scowling, Azula turned to Ty Lee, and curtly questioned her about it. The acrobat seemed nervous; the princess got the distinct impression that she was trying to shield Mai. _This would not do. _Azula could feel the cold fury building up inside her.

She would have to deal with this.

-o-o-o-o-o-

They came, that evening – the two of them – to the war room, where Azula was waiting for them. Ty Lee looked decidedly nervous. Mai, of course, was cool and collected.

Azula intended to change that fact in a hurry.

She was sitting in her chair – the one at the head of the conference table. It was the largest and most ornate in the room, something like a small throne, with an intricately carved backrest. Crossing her legs gracefully, Azula turned her amber eyes on the silent guards who stood to either side of her. "Leave us," she said curtly. They struck their clenched fists against their palms in salute and obeyed. The door closed behind them.

Mai and Ty Lee stood silently, on either side of the closed door, their eyes on their princess. Azula sat back in her chair and let the silence stretch out. Silence, she had learned, was as useful a tool as words. She could see Ty Lee fidgeting a little, but Mai stood ramrod-straight, like a soldier at attention.

Calmly, Azula rose from her seat and crossed the room, the sound of her boots striking the floor echoing off the walls. She moved to stand before Ty Lee first, her face stern. "Ty Lee," she said calmly, "refresh my memory. What did I order you both to do when I went to battle the Avatar?"

The little acrobat's gray eyes widened. "You…told us to take care of the Avatar's friends, princess," she said timidly.

"That's right." Azula put her hand on the collar of Ty Lee's shirt, her fingers playing absently with the fabric. "And did you do that, Ty Lee?"

She watched Ty Lee's throat move as she swallowed. Her eyes moved up to the acrobat's, her mouth twitching a little. They were still wide, and now beginning to mist. "I tried," Ty Lee said in a small voice.

"That isn't what I asked you," Azula said coldly, her hand suddenly clenching on the handful of cloth. She felt the girl flinch. "Don't try to avoid my question, Ty Lee. _Did you do what I told you to do?"_

"No, Princess." Ty Lee's voice fell to a bare whisper. Azula could see her lip quivering.

Coldly, the princess looked over at Mai. The black-haired girl still stood at attention, her eyes on the far wall of the room. Azula smirked; whether Mai showed it or not, she hated when anything hurt the little acrobat. She turned her golden eyes back to Ty Lee. "No, you didn't," she said. "You didn't do what you were told. You _failed." _

Azula reached up and dug her dagger-sharp nails into the acrobat's cheek. She drew them slowly downward, watching the tears stream from Ty Lee's eyes. The girl was struggling not to flinch – Azula smiled as she drew her hand away. Four long cuts marked the side of Ty Lee's face. "Princess…"

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Azula asked icily. Ty Lee shut her mouth immediately. With great force, the princess plowed her fist into the acrobat's belly! Ty Lee doubled over a little, uttering a strangled gasp.

_That will do. _The princess stepped back, looking the silently-weeping acrobat up at down. Then, with great deliberation, she turned and moved to stand before the silent and stoic Mai. The assassin's face was impassive, but Azula could see anger flashing in the narrow silver eyes – and a glint of something like defiance. _That_ was the glint that Azula was about to crush.

"But," Azula said coolly, "at least you were making _some_ attempt to stop them, Ty Lee. Unlike certain other people." Neither of her underlings spoke. Azula's voice came again, harsh this time, cracking out like a whip. "Explain yourself, Mai. What exactly were you doing while the rest of us were trying to bring down the enemies of the Fire Nation?"

The pale girl didn't flinch. "The sludge was gross," in a flat tone. That was all.

"Well, heaven forbid that you get a bit dirty while obeying the direct orders of the Crown Princess. Surely that would be far too much to ask." Still, Mai didn't respond. It was time to up the ante.

With swift, decisive motions, Azula untied the knot of Mai's belt, then jerked the black robe from her shoulders. It fell to the ground heavily, weighed down by the countless weapons Mai always kept hidden in it. Azula saw the girl's eyes widen a fraction. "Disarm!" she barked. Then, as Mai hesitated, "_Now!" _

It was always interesting to see just how many knives and things that Mai actually carried. Azula watched with some genuine curiosity as the black-haired assassin pulled blade after blade from hidden belts, arm sheaths and secret pockets. Lastly, Mai let the spring-loaded cartridges from her wrists fall.

Azula looked her underling in the eye. The defiance was still there, but the princess could also see uncertainty, and perhaps a hint of fear. She smirked inwardly; outwardly, she was stern. "I need you to understand something, Mai," she said, and her voice was calm, almost gentle. She took the girl's left arm, her hand encircling her wrist. "When I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed." Her hand was heating up as she channeled her firebending chi. "I expect it to be obeyed at once, without question." She could see Mai's lips twitching a little. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Princess." The voice was a little less steady than usual. Azula released her grip, noting the shiny redness of the burn that now encircled the white wrist.

"I hope you do." Azula's voice had dropped almost to a purr as she moved to Mai's other side and took her right wrist in her hand, gently, almost lovingly. "Because I value your service, Mai. And if you don't grasp this very basic concept, that valuable service won't last much longer." The assassin's breath hissed a little, and Azula released her; the angry marks of Azula's burning fingers were livid on the pale skin. She looked at the girl's eyes again. There was pain now, and definite fear. The defiance was still there.

_Well, then. More drastic measures are in order._ Slowly, the princess moved to stand behind Mai, and rested her hand on the girl's left shoulder. She felt the assassin's body tense as she sank her nails through cloth and into flesh. "That would be unfortunate, Mai," she continued calmly, as she channeled the flames and deliberately drew her hand downward - cutting, burning. "After all, we've been friends for a long time." She stopped at the base of Mai's spine, and let her hand fall away. She could feel blood, slick on her fingertips.

Eyes glittering, Azula reached up to touch Mai's right shoulder. This time she felt a definite flinch, just before her nails dug in. She smiled. "And I would _hate_ to see anything happen to such an old friend," she murmured, admiring how the blood flowed from the wounds she was inflicting. It would have been better if Mai's shirt hadn't been black, but she could still see the crimson flooding the cloth as she slowly dragged her nails downward through the flesh. _Red, like fire. Red, like blood._

When her hand had reached the small of Mai's back, she pulled away. Heedless of the blood on her hands, Azula moved to stand in front of the black-haired girl again. Mai's face was still blank, but the princess could see the tracks of tears on the white cheeks. _Still, there was defiance – much weaker, but still there._

Without a word, Azula laid her hand against the side of Mai's neck. Her glittering amber eyes bored into Mai's silver ones as her palm began to heat up. "I need to know that you truly _understand _this," she whispered, her voice a mere hiss.

Mai's eyes were watering in pain – Azula watched as a tear escaped, then two. Still the stoic assassin's expression didn't falter. The princess mercilessly turned up the heat. She watched Mai's jaw tighten, then her lips twitch. Finally, a tiny whine of pain escaped the girl's throat. Tears flowed freely, and the rebellion in those silver irises was swallowed up in agony and pleading.

Now _that_ was better. Azula withdrew her fingers an admired her handiwork – it was red and blistered and raw. She smirked. "You do understand it, don't you, Mai?"

The assassin's jaw worked for a moment. "Yes, Princess." There was a definite waver in her voice.

"Good. I'm glad we had this little talk." Azula sauntered back to her chair, sat down, and crossed her legs regally. Neither Ty Lee nor Mai had moved. The princess smirked.

"You are dismissed.'


End file.
